


The Best Worst Date

by ashtraythief



Series: tumblr prompt fills [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blind Date, Fluff, M/M, Sharing Dessert, fancy food
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 02:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8560159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashtraythief/pseuds/ashtraythief
Summary: Jensen has seen many bad dates go down in the restaurant he works at. None of them have ever turned out in a good way for him. Then Jared shows up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Written for the 75 Dates Fic Meme on tumblr, prompt 1. fancy dinner. Menu shamelessly stolen from the Bouley in New York. Many thanks to ilikaicalie for the beta!

 

 

The guy at table thirteen looks incredibly uncomfortable. Jensen noticed him when he came in because he was a guy you noticed. Taller than everyone else in the restaurant, brown hair longer than anyone else here. Maybe not long enough for a pony tail but definitely long enough to drag your hands through, grab a handful and _pull_.

 

“If you’re done drooling, there’s an order waiting for you.”

 

Kim’s voice is amused. Jensen turns around to find her smirking at him.

 

“Please give me table thirteen for tonight.”

 

Kim raises an eyebrow. “That’s Adrianne’s section. You can ask her, but no switching. If she gives you one of her tables, fine, but I don’t want her running around in your section too. And if you neglect any of your own tables…”

 

“You’re the best,” Jensen says, shoots her his brightest smile and hurries to the kitchen window to get the oysters and the foie gras for table twenty-six. They’re a cute couple, definitely on an anniversary dinner and going to a fancy place they’re not used to. They look as out of place as the tall guy at table thirteen does, but they are definitely happy to be here, bathing in the luxury they’re indulging in for one night. The guy at table thirteen does not look comfortable and Jensen can’t wait to figure out why. And alright, yes, maybe see if he can make it better.

 

He catches Adri behind the giant fish tank. Two kids are standing there, dressed in a miniature suit and a fancy gown, faces pressed against the glass.

 

“I can’t see her,” the little boy say with a whine. “There’s no Dory in here!”

 

“Yes there is,” the girl says imperiously. “She’s just hiding in those plants.”

 

The boy makes a face. “Watching fish is boring. Let’s play!”

 

Jensen pulls Adri aside. “I want to do table thirteen tonight.”

 

Adri looks over to the table, back to Jensen and a dirty grin spreads over her face. “Of course you do. Knock yourself out. But I’ll be one table down, so you’re gonna split the tip with me if you wanna serve tall and handsome over there and the next time the two George Clooney lookalikes come in for lunch, I’m getting their table.”

 

Jensen grins. “Deal.”

 

“His date looks like an insufferable ass,” Adri warns him.

 

Jensen hadn’t really looked at the other guy at the table, wasn’t even sure if it was a date. It could be a business dinner, maybe a family thing, but he’d hoped. Adri’s confirmation just makes him smile wider.

 

“Even better,” he says.

 

Shaking her head, she walks off and Jensen straightens his tie, runs a tally of the orders he’s waiting on from the kitchen, calculates which table will be done with their course next — it’s a toss up between table twenty-one and twenty-five — and makes his way over to table thirteen, picking up two menus.

 

He puts on his most friendly and most professional smile. “Good evening and welcome to The Hanging Lantern. My name is Jensen and I’ll be your server tonight. Here are your menus,” he hands them the menus, insufferable ass first, and Adri was right, the guy had that entitled, pinched look on his face, and then to the other guy. The guy Jensen couldn’t wait to get a closer look at and yeah, Jensen had thought his face was pretty, but wow. Tall guy has an open and friendly face, his eyes slightly tilted and Jensen can’t make out their color, a mix of brown and green maybe. Tall and handsome’s lips are wide and inviting, lighting his face up with a beautiful smile.

 

Jensen forces himself to look back at insufferable guy before he starts flirting inappropriately with a guest. “The kitchen recommends the organic Millbrook venison with paupau fruit and the fresh Dover sole, served with organic kobucha squash and apple cider vinegar. Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

 

“Water and we’ll need the sommelier when we order.”

 

No “thank you,” no “please,” the guy’s not even looking at Jensen. Oh yeah, he’s definitely an ass.

 

“And for you, Sir?” Jensen asks, turning to tall and handsome.

 

He’s visibly flustered. “Yeah, water’s fine.”

 

Jensen sees tall and handsome look at the menu, the telltale look of overwhelmed and confused of someone who’s never been to a restaurant that actually employs a sommelier. He isn’t dressed for the occasion either, a casual gray sports coat over a black v neck t-shirt. It looks good on him, but it’s not up the restaurant's standard. Jensen has the feeling tall and handsome had no idea what kind of place his date was taking him to. Asshole.

 

Considering asshole’s self-satisfied expression he probably aimed to impress and overwhelm. Jensen suppresses a snort, keeps his friendly smile in place, nods and leaves.

 

He goes looking for Mark, their sommelier, before he makes the rounds at his other tables. Twenty-one, a very nice older couple, are finished with their main course, but table twenty-five, three people who by their coloring and the arch of their noses look like they could be siblings are engaged in a lively discussion, their first course forgotten in front of them. Jensen gives them a wide berth and checks up on his other tables.

 

Four _yes everything is fine_ , two drink orders, one complaint, and one check request later he has a minute to breathe. At table thirteen, tall and handsome is still perusing the menu, his forehead wrinkled in cute frown lines. His asshole date has closed his own menu with a look of annoyance on his face. Jensen hurries over.

 

“Have you made your selection?”

 

Asshole has. He orders his three courses, picking the dishes that sound the most expensive. Of course he’s having oysters and the kobe.

 

Jensen nods along. “Terrific choice, Sir.”

 

There’s a choked off laugh from his date but asshole takes the compliment with a surprisingly graceful nod. Apparently he’s not as perceptive as his date who clearly noticed Jensen’s over the top politeness. Thankfully his date seems to find it amusing rather than insulting.

 

“And for you, Sir?” Jensen turns to tall and handsome and he doesn’t need to force his smile now. “If you have any questions at all—” he makes a small, almost imperceptible pause— “ about our menu and our products, I’d be happy to answer them.”

 

“Oh my god, Jared, just pick something,” asshole says exasperatedly. “Everything here is delicious.”

 

Jared looks at asshole and for a moment there’s an angry glint in his eye, before his expression smoothes out in a mask of friendliness that Jensen knows too well from practicing his tip-winning smile in the mirror.

 

“Of course, Michael,” Jared says. Then he turns to Jensen and his smile becomes warmer and sincere.

 

Jensen supresses a fistpump and smiles back.

 

“I’ll have the… er.. treasure of wild mushrooms, the sheep’s milk gnocchi and for dessert...” Jared trails off, eyes quickly scanning the menu, obviously not able to decide.

 

“The ‘passion’ is excellent here,” Jensen says and his smile is probably too flirty, but the corner of Jared’s mouth twitches into the beginning of an impish smile. “The passion fruit gelée is a wonderful contrast to the chocolate soy ganache and the coconut sorbet is handmade.”

 

Jared smiles, dimples denting his cheek. “‘Passion’ sounds awesome.”

 

A phone beeps sharply and Jared quickly puts his menu back on the table and clears his throat. His date hasn’t noticed, busy staring at his phone. He probably hasn’t noticed either that his date picked the only vegetarian options from the menu and that bringing someone to a restaurant with only one vegetarian option per course who clearly is a vegetarian is incredibly inconsiderate.

 

Jensen picks up the menu, shooting Jared another smile and leaves, signalling Mark the table is ready for him. He checks on table twenty-five and what previously looked like a heated debate now looks like a hissed shouting match. Jensen gives them five minutes before someone storms off.

 

After a quick detour to the kitchen delivering Jared’s and asshole’s orders and making sure Aldis knows to prepare vegetarian amuse bouche for table thirteen, he clears off the table for the anniversary couple, who are so engrossed staring at each other, they barely notice Jensen. He tends to a few more tables, and just barely avoids running over the two kids who have abandoned the fish tank in favor of playing some kind of game involving stealthily creeping around between the tables.

 

“Briana, come on!” the boy orders but the girl vehemently shakes her head.

 

“Don’t be an idiot, Rob! If we go now, the stormtroopers are gonna—” she spots Jensen watching, waves frantically at the boy to run and dives behind the next server’s cart.

 

Jensen looks down at his white shirt, black vest and the tie in the restaurant’s signature dark red color. Well, he guesses with enough fantasy, he could pass at a stormtrooper.  Jensen is really glad that it’s Kim’s job to talk to parents about unruly children. He should let her know what’s going on before the kids take the whole place apart.

 

He looks back to table thirteen where Mark is still discussing their wine selection with insufferable ass. Mark is too professional to let his feelings show on his face, but Jensen has been working with him for three years and he knows his facial expressions. This one means he’s not impressed with the guest. They keep haggling over the wine, before asshole apparently makes a decision.

 

Jared seems unimpressed and his expression darkens further before he leans in and says something to Mark. Ah. Jensen’s seen this happen enough to recognize what’s going on now. Someone's trying to order for their date and the date is not happy.

 

When Jared leans back with an annoyed expression, Jensen wonders why he’s on a date with the asshole. Just when he’s about to make his rounds again, he catches Jared looking over to him. Jared rolls his eyes in asshole’s direction, then gives Jensen a wink. Reflexively, Jensen winks right back.

 

Moments later, Mark storms past Jensen, his face pulled into a sneer. “There’s nothing worse than an arrogant arse who thinks his pile of money automatically gives him good knowledge of wine.”

 

Before Jensen gets a chance to reply, there are angry shouts from table twenty-five.

 

“Fuck you!” one of the men says loudly and storms off. The woman follows him outside, calling for him.

 

Jensen reaches the table when the last man is standing with the expression of someone who expected the worst yet still hoped for a better outcome.

 

“Just the check please,” he says and sits down again, reaching for his wine glass. “Sorry about the commotion.”

 

“It’s no trouble at all, Sir,” Jensen says softly and goes to get the check.

 

He brings it back to table twenty-five, together with a shot of fine Grey Goose vodka.

 

“On the house,” he says as he puts it down.

 

The guy gives him a grateful smile, empties the glass and then signs the credit card slip, putting a twenty percent tip on it. When he stands he presses a folded bill into Jensen’s hand. “Thanks.”

 

Jensen nods. “You have a good evening, Sir.”

 

He opens his hand to find a folded fifty dollar bill. Sometimes he really fucking loves his job.

 

In the corridor leading to the guest bathrooms, Jensen runs into Jared, quite literally when he’s rounding the corner coming from the staff bathroom.

 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Jared says almost bowling Jensen over. Jensen doesn’t mind, especially not when he gets a noseful of Jared’s mouthwatering scent, fresh and spicy and, unlike most patrons, not an overpowering cloud of expensive perfume. Large hands grip Jensen’s shoulders to steady him.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jensen says, trying not to get distracted by his close up view of Jared’s throat and the warm pressure of his hands. “Are you alright?”

 

“Right now, yeah,” Jared says, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. “Generally tonight, not so much.”

 

Jensen swallows the first five things he wants to say and settles on a diplomatic, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Oh, it’s definitely not your fault. That’s all on Michael. But, shit, I really shouldn't bother you with that stuff, just forget I said anything.” Jared smiles nervously, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.

 

“Hey, we want our guests happy,” Jensen says with an encouraging smile that’s just a tiny bit flirty. Well, maybe a little more than a bit. “And if that includes lending a shoulder to cry on in front of the bathrooms we can do that too.”

 

Jared laughs, short and loud. “Right now, the food and the wine is still enough to compensate for his awful company.”

 

Jensen wouldn’t ask the question burning a hole in his pocket if Jared wasn’t so friendly, open and clearly out of place. His flirty winks don’t hurt either. “Then why go on a date with him?”

 

“My grandma,” Jared says and makes a face. “She married this rich old dude a couple of years ago. They met at a seniors dance event or something. Turned out he was loaded so she spends her summers on Martha’s Vineyard now.” Jared shrugs. “They’re really cute together and Julian is a great guy, but whenever I stay with her, she invites all these ‘eligible bachelors’ over.” Jared makes actual air quotes around the term. “Apparently she thinks marrying rich is _the bomb_ , her words, not mine, by the way, so she’s trying to set me up. And she’s old and tiny, doesn’t reach higher than my chest, but man, she’s terrifying.” Despite the words, Jared looks fond. Clearly, he loves his terrifying grandma.

 

Jensen tries for a straight face. The idea of a tiny, older woman ordering Jared into blind dates is kind of hilarious. “That’s very considerate of her.”

 

Jared raises his eyebrows in a supreme bitchface. Jensen can’t help but laugh. “No, really, She obviously means well.”

 

“Yeah, well, one of these days a date is going to end with me throwing food.”

 

“Dude, what a waste that would be.”

 

“True, true.” Jared smiles, dimples deep in his cheek and runs a hand through his hair. “I should get back. I mean, the sooner we eat, the sooner this night is going to be over, right?”

 

Jensen nods. “Yeah. You don’t want to miss your gnocchi. They’re really tasty.”

 

For a moment, Jared stares, then his tongue peeks out to wet his lower lip. “I’m sure they are.” Then he walks away.

 

Jensen is left in front of the bathroom, staring at Jared’s retreating backside and telling himself that it is not appropriate to get a boner at work.

 

Jensen is bringing out the second course for table twenty when the whole night goes to shit. He’s passing table thirteen, which is technically not the quickest route from the kitchen to table twenty, but Jensen is intent on shooting Jared another smile. Maybe even a wink. There was some definite flirting going on in front of the bathrooms earlier, and Jared has been shooting Jensen looks the whole time. And because Jensen’s looking at Jared he sees the kids too late.

 

They’re running between the tables, holding two of the restaurant's long wooden pepper mills like guns and ‘shooting’ at the waitstaff.

 

“Take cover!” the boy yells when he rounds a table and sees Jensen, but for the girl it’s too late.

 

She tries to evade Jensen, Jensen tries to step out of her way, they both move in the same direction and what’s usually a meet-cute movie moment turns into a full blown disaster when the girl collides with Jensen’s leg, the pepper mill hitting him in his thigh. Jensen stumbles, thinks he’s gonna manage to stay upright and then the boy runs past, grabs the girl and pulls her away, and that’s what tips Jensen’s balance.

 

The kids bowl past him and Jensen feels the plates slipping, has time to think _oh shit_ and then he tilts, stumbles, manages to catch himself an inch from the table, but the plates go flying out of his hands and the shrimp and the rainbow trout for table twenty sail through the air, landing mostly on asshole, covering him in food from head to lap, a piece of shrimp hitting asshole right in the eye.

 

There’s a moment of shocked silence, then Jensen leaps into action, apologizing and getting the dishes off the table, handing asshole a napkin. Assholes’s face is already red with anger and he pushes Jensen away forcefully.

 

“Get your damn hands off of me,” he snaps even though Jensen isn’t even touching him. “What kind of incompetent moron—”

 

“Cut it out Michael, the kids ran him over,” Jared cuts in.

 

Asshole doesn’t care. What he does seem to care about is to rant about Jensen being a horrible waiter and a disgrace to all humankind by the sounds of it. Jensen schools his face into a mask of indifference.

 

It doesn’t take long for Kim to show up, immediately rushing over with two other staff members to help clean up the mess and apologize profusely. It wasn’t Jensen’s fault but that doesn’t matter when the state of a six thousand dollar suit is at stake.

 

Asshole rages in his face, calls him everything from incompetent to insolent. Jared tries to intervene, tries to point out it was the kids’ fault but asshole doesn’t care. Kim defends Jensen’s skill, points out the unfortunate events with the children — whose parents actually bring them over and make them apologize — but asshole is not appeased. When he throws in the name of the editor of the city’s most influential food blog, Kim, who was moments away from asking asshole to contain himself by the impatient impression on her face and her angrily twitching eyebrow, switches track.

 

She gives Jensen the worst dressing down he’s ever had, a few sharp stinging sentences, designed more to satisfy the guest than to hurt Jensen but it’s still far from his idea of fun. She sends him out with orders not to show his face anymore. To asshole it probably sounds like she fired Jensen, but he knows it only means his shift ended early.

 

Assholes’s still bitching at Kim, telling her they want to leave immediately.

 

“Oh come on,” Jared says, “it’s not that bad and we haven’t even had dessert.”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Assholes retorts. “But if you absolutely have to have dessert, we’re taking it to go.”

 

Jensen’s sad he won’t get to talk to Jared anymore, he’d hoped he could maybe slip him his number later, but Jensen does what he’s told and leaves the dining area. He makes a detour to the kitchen, gets himself a piece of bread and a glass of wine, bums a cigarette off of Aldis and makes his way towards the back. That did not go as he imagined.

 

Jensen’s sitting in the back alley between the dumpsters, having a smoke. He doesn’t smoke a lot but every once in awhile, after a night like this, he needs it to calm down. The door behind him opens and he prepares himself for someone calling him. Maybe Kim wants to have a talk.

 

Instead footsteps come closer and Jared plops down next to him. Jensen stares in surprise.

 

“So, I have these two awesome desserts, but I’m pretty full. Wanna share?” Jared’s holding up the container with the dessert and two spoons.

 

Jensen forces his mouth shut and takes one of the spoons. “So, you didn’t go home with Michael.”

 

Jared snorts and opens the take out container. “Please. That guy was such a giant asshole. And you didn’t deserve getting yelled at like that.”

 

“I know.” Jensen shrugs and takes a last drag of the cigarette before he puts it out. “And Kim knows it too, but Michael is a well paying guest.”

 

He dips the spoon in the ‘chocolate frivolous’ that Michael ordered. The assortment of chocolate brule and parfait with praline ice cream is amazing. He really has to tell Ruth she outdid herself. He scoops up another spoon and holds it out for Jared.

 

“I know I recommended the ‘passion’, but this is pretty awesome. Try.”

 

Obediently, Jared opens his mouth and licks the chocolate off the spoon. And it’s a cliche, but the sight is way too pornografic for Jensen to remain unaffected. Thankfully, Jared doesn’t look down into Jensen’s lap, instead he gathers up some passion fruit gelée and holds it out for Jensen.

 

“The ‘passion’ is pretty awesome too,” he says with an impish smile.

 

Jensen eats what’s offered but the taste only registers in the back if his head, he’s too busy watching Jared stare at his mouth. He leans back with a grin and Jared rolls his eyes with a smile.

 

For a while, they eat in companionable silence because the dessert is really too good not to eat it. The tension between them is a pleasant hum in the air and Jensen’s not sure if he’s gonna get a phone number, a kiss, or maybe even a fuck before the night is over, but he’s pretty sure he’d be happy with any option. Either way, he thinks, he really wants that phone number.

 

“Are they gonna fire you?” Jared asks suddenly and Jensen is pleased to hear a tone of worry in his voice.

 

“Nah. This wasn’t my mistake and I’m too pretty to fire.” He bats his eyelashes exaggeratedly.

 

Jared stares, then grins. “You really are.”

 

Jensen grins right back. They sit like that, stupidly grinning at each other, dessert forgotten between them. The container is  almost empty anyway. Jensen’s not sure who makes the first move, or if they lean forward at the same time, but one moment he’s still staring into Jared’s eyes, dark blue with flecks of gold in the dim back alley light, the next, they’re not even an inch apart and Jensen can feel Jared’s breath ghosting over his face.

 

Their kiss is soft at first, their lips meeting with slow, sensual pressure. Then Jared’s tongue flicks against Jensen’s lips and he deepens the kiss. Jared tastes of chocolate and passionfruit and it’s better than any of Ruth’s desserts Jensen ever tried. He loses track of time, gets lost in the taste of Jared’s lips, his hands on Jensen’s back and the silky feeling of his hair between Jensen’s hands. He has no recollection of starting to touch Jared, but he can’t stop. With the way Jared is leaning into it, Jensen doesn’t think he has to.

 

Too soon the door slams open, and Rich comes out, carrying a trash bag. Jared and Jensen freeze, their lips still connected. Rich walks past them, throws the trash away, then walks back.

 

“Carry on!” he calls over his shoulder.

 

With a laugh, they pull apart. Jared grins. “Best first date ever.”

 

Jensen shakes his head in pity. “I don’t even wanna know what idiots you dated before. But I promise you, if you give me your number I’m gonna take you on the best date you ever had.”

 

“Oh yeah?”

 

“Yeah. I know all the best spots.”

 

Jared grins. “Will we eat pasta with meatballs and listen to a jazz concert on the roof tops?”

 

Jensen thinks for a moment. “Not exactly, but if that’s what you want, we can get pretty close.”

 

Jared leans in to kiss Jensen again. “Sounds great.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Original tumblr post [here](http://ashtray-thief.tumblr.com/post/152808519619/j2-prompt-fill)


End file.
